You’re probably paying a lot of employees and not getting the employee productivity output that you need. And now, you want to know how to fix the problem.

So let’s talk about what employee productivity is and how you can improve this.

Employee productivity means that your team is effective and efficient. Employees use their work hours wisely to produce more and better results in less time.

Employee productivity is crucial to your business’s achievements. Business owners like you must constantly motivate and engage your team to increase productivity. It’s not easy to drive productivity gains, and you may even face significant resource limitations.

You must understand that being productive means more than just “getting stuff done.” Some teams manage to get things done effortlessly while others struggle to meet deadlines. But, most importantly, you have to understand that your team’s productivity is within your control.

And how do you control employee productivity?

1. Create and foster a culture of appreciation and gratitude.

When employees feel appreciated, it creates energy inside them to start the next process, and that’s where the magic of productivity happens.  

2. Change the thinking around mistakes. We all make them. Mistakes are going to happen. 

Many mistakes are very profitable mistakes. They create change and new possibilities. Suppose your company has a culture that supports mistakes in a positive way. This can lead to innovation or improvements. In this case, you can reinforce or reward your employees’ creative thinking.

And because the company’s culture is rewarding of taking risks they won’t be afraid to reach out or try something new. 

3. Understanding employees’ needs can help them perform better because employees are people first.

Taking care of your employees can impact your bottom line. Many companies spend thousands of dollars every year on employee benefits and other programs, but they overlook programs to support employee mental health.

Investing in mental health programs, and the psychological fitness of your employees, can improve productivity in the workplace. 

Saying that mental health is important is one thing, but investing time, energy, and dollars will be noticed and appreciated by those employees.

Job stress is increasing and is one source of low employee productivity. Help your employees track their stressors by starting engagement activities that will allow them to realize their stress.

Also, allow your employees to create support groups within the company where they can share their stressors. Support groups help with providing solutions and help the employees feel comfortable at work.

4. The use of effective communication.

You, the business owner, must be able to relay the tasks you want done so the employees understand exactly what you want to happen. 

Effectively communicating also makes the employees feel heard. If you show them that you are unapproachable, they may rarely even communicate with you.

5. Identify what the employees’ interests are, create an environment where most of their interests are met, and where distractions are limited.

When employees enjoy at work, they tend to be more productive. 

6. Provide mentoring.

Having guidance and resources help with the employee’s efficiency, in turn having higher productivity rates.

Increasing an employee’s productivity takes time, but if you follow these tips and start now, you will be able to reach your goal of having productive employees in the long run which will save you time, money, and energy.

Now, identify how you can improve your own productivity. Note the things that you would like or you think you need to change that can help you produce better results. This will be your first step in increasing your employees’ productivity.